Stargate Universe: Oh no, Col. Young didn’t!

Nothing much happens in this last Stargate Universe of 2009. That is, until the last few minutes. And in all fairness, plenty does happen, just not much that moves the storylines along.

The episode opens with Sgt. Greer taste-testing what he says looks like a sweet potato. The scientists have confirmed that the gourd-like vegetable(?) is safe to eat, but it’s obvious they aren’t brave enough to give it a try. Sgt. Greer gives it a thumbs up and tells everyone to dig in, and they do. He lied. It’s nasty, but he points out that it’s food and they shouldn’t be so picky. He radios for Sgt. Spencer, who was supposed to be on KP duty and does not answer.

Sgt. Greer heads to his quarters and finds him lying on the bed in his cabin. He radios Col. Young, who is with Camille Wray going over schedules; Wray is concerned they are pushing them too hard. Sgt. Greer tells Col. Young that Sgt. Spencer has been shot, dead.

SyFy

In a previous episode, we see Col. Young confront Sgt. Spencer.

Lt. Johansen checks out the body and declares that he has been dead for about an hour and in a flippant gesture for a medical officer, makes a gun with her hand and points it at her head.

Wray gets huffy and demands to know why someone as unstable as Spencer was given access to a gun. He was hoarding food after all, was confrontational and just downright jerky. As Wray and Col. Young bicker, Sgt. Greer jumps in and shuts everyone up by pointing out that there is no gun in the room therefore it could not be suicide.

When Dr. Rush learns of the death, he asks Col. Young who the suspects are and points out that Sgt. Spencer didn’t have many friends on board. He tells Col. Young to find the killer as quickly as possible. Guess Dr. Rush gets to be in charge this week.

Col. Young gathers the crew in the gateroom and reports that there will be an investigation and a search for the gun. He points out that Lt. Scott, Eli, Mr. Brody, Lt. James and Dr. Park all have an alibi, as they were playing cards in the mess — what is this, Clue? — so they will search everyone’s quarters. He adds that since he doesn’t have an alibi, Lt. Scott will lead the investigation.

Meanwhile, Dr. Rush doesn’t see why a murder should slow down his work, and he’s discovered something new about the Ancient chair interface. He radios Col. Young, who gets huffy that he isn’t in the gateroom with everyone else. They argue. Dr. Rush ignores Col. Young’s order to get to the gateroom.

In Col. Young’s quarters, Lt. Scott looks around briefly and declares it searched. Eagle-eye Eli, though, spots something in an air vent way over his eye level. It’s the gun. Lt. Scott calls for Col. Young, who says “Somebody’s trying to frame me.” Lt. Scott gives him puppy dog eyes and says, of course, while a more skeptical look crosses Eli’s face. After all, Col. Young and Sgt. Spencer had gotten into it a few times.

Lt. Scott suggests they lie and say they found it in the storage room. Eli doesn’t like that idea, and neither does Col. Young. He turns the investigation over to Wray to ensure objectivity. Um, OK.

Dr. Rush, Wray, Eli and Lt. Scott discuss the evidence, and finally someone suggest checking the Kino to see if it caught anything.

Back in Col. Young’s quarter’s, he calls for Chloe. He tells her that Wray has contacted the IOA and given her approval to hold an evidentiary hearing. He wants Chloe to be his defender… because she went to Harvard. Um, OK.

Chloe agrees and the hearing begins. Wray and Chloe each interview various scientists and soldiers. Wray tries to paint a picture of a pain-in-the-butt Sgt. Spencer, who Col. Young may have thought they’d be better off without. She points out that they should have used the communication stones immediately to get forensic advice, instead of having Col. Young’s people muck up the crime scene. Chloe leads Lt. Johansen to say that no matter what advice they had, they wouldn’t know for sure what happened. Lt. Johansen also testifies that she found an empty bottle of sleeping pills in Sgt. Spencer’s quarters and that he may have been suffering from withdrawal, which could have made him suicidal.

SyFy

You let me talk Camille Wray! It’s my turn and I went to Harvard.

Wray and Chloe bicker, too, until Chloe, like a petulant child, stomps her foot and says it’s her turn to talk. Wray calls a recess and scolds Chloe like the child she is. She decides they will finish presenting evidence and then everyone will vote. Again with the voting on board Destiny; this isn’t a democracy people, it’s the military no matter how many civilians are in the mix.

Sgt. Greer reacts badly to this news and calls it mob rule, comparing it to back in the day when people like him were targeted for looking at white women.

Col. Young interrupts him and says Wray will close the hearing for lack of evidence if he steps down. She has taken charge. Wonder how Dr. Rush will feel about that…

Apparently, he likes the idea, as Wray will be way easier to manipulate than Col. Young. He asks for control of the science team and Wray says, yes, whatever, as long as he reports to her. So, so naive.

Dr. Rush pulls everyone into the chair room and declares it their primary priority. They debate the deadliness of testing the chair with a someone in it, and Dr. Rush points out again that he believes that the chair will be what gets them home. Previously, Col. Young ordered that no one try it out, but he’s not in charge anymore, is he.

Dr. Franklin and Eli are pulling a late shift in the chair room. Dr. Franklin sends Eli away to get food, so he can jump in the chair. Dr. Franklin wants to get home. As everyone feared, the chair fries Dr. Franklin a bit, giving him a bloody nose and seizures. Lt. Johansen checks him out and says he’s in a catatonic state. Dr. Rush points out that he never TOLD Dr. Franklin to sit in the chair.

Lt. Scott decides enough is enough and tells Eli to look at the Kino footage again, even though according to Eli he looked TWO WHOLE TIMES.

Meanwhile, Destiny drops out of FTL near a planet. Brody has sent through a Kino and it looks safe. Wray orders an away team but on her way to the gateroom, she runs into Sgt. Greer who gets in her personal space and asks why he has been taken off the away team schedule. Wray does not like Sgt. Greer. He continues to occupy her personal space, saying to her as she finally walks away, that he’s not going anywhere.

The away team gets ready to go through the wormhole, and Wray puts the scientists, instead of the military, in charge. No one looks happy about that.

Eli, who has been looking at the Kino footage for a THIRD time, finds something. Someone deleted footage from around when Sgt. Spencer was shot. That someone didn’t know that Eli backs up the Kino footage daily, for his documentary. He quips that if there’s an Ancient version of iMovie in the database, he hasn’t found it. Well, hello, Apple product placement. Eli calls for Col. Young.

On the planet, which is desert-like, again, they find a ship. Dr. Rush gets all excited and wants to go through the gate to check it out. Col. Young stops him. On the found footage, we see Sgt. Spencer talking about his pill addiction and putting the gun to his head. Eli says that at least a dozen crew members would know how to delete the footage from the mainframe.

None of this stops Dr. Rush from wanting to get through that gate, and Col. Young volunteers to go with him. Wray gives her approval, and Col. Young points out that he’s not asking for permission, but telling her.

On the planet, Dr. Rush tries to make his way into the ship, which isn’t Ancient. With only a little bit of time left before Destiny jumps back into FTL, Col. Young sends everyone back to the ship but himself and Dr. Rush.

Once they are alone, Col. Young says, “I know it was you.” Dr. Rush doesn’t deny that he set him up and accuses Col. Young of being melodramatic. Dr. Rush doesn’t think Col. Young believes in the mission. After all, he resigned from the SG leadership because he didn’t want to make the hard decisions. Dr. Rush says he’s not proud of what he did but that he did it for everyone on board. If by everyone you mean you, then we believe you, Dr. Rush.

Col. Young responds by punching him, repeatedly. Dr. Rush throws a rock at him, and they fight as they tumble down a sandy hill. When Col. Young asks Dr. Rush, “Are we done,” Dr. Rush responds with, “Oh, we’ll never be done.” Col. Young headbutts Dr. Rush, knocking him unconscious.

Back in the gateroom, the crew waits anxiously for Col. Young and Dr. Rush to return. There are only seconds to spare when Col. Young comes through, ALONE. The gate closes, and Destiny jumps back into FTL. He tells the crew Dr. Rush didn’t make it.

In Col. Young’s quarters, he tells Eli to copy the Kino footage — all of it from Sgt. Spencer’s quarters, including the part where Dr. Rush takes the gun — and give it to him and delete it from his backup. Eli agrees, and it’s obvious not everyone saw the full version.

Back on the planet, Dr. Rush comes to, alone, and gazes up at the sky.